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Wednesday, 11 May 2011

a white loaf

i've been having a bit of a non-sourdough moment of late... I made some delightful Hot Cross Buns a few weeks ago which were soft and doughy and they made me yearn for that in a loaf... don't get me wrong, I do love Lucretia and all she brings to my world of bread but sometimes, what you really want is a classic, soft dough, crunchy crust, white loaf... and so I refer you to my WI book of bread by Liz Herbert... I don't think I could get any more classic than their Farmhouse Loaf... and it's remarkably easy to make too, perfect for a first time bread maker...

... I also just found out that a 'white loaf' will be one of the categories in this years Aby Village Show, so it's a good thing i'm getting my practice in early eh?

Farmhouse Loaf

450g strong white bread flour

25g butter

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fast action dried yeast

200ml hand-hot water (the recipe called for 300ml water but i've reduced this slightly and added milk)

100ml milk

- put the flour into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter then stir in the sugar, salt and yeast.

- pour over the water/milk and gently bring together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. You should end up with a really soft silky dough.

- place the dough in a large bowl, cover with cling film and let it prove in a warm place for at least and hour or two until it has doubled in size

- knock back the dough for 2-3 minutes, then shape it into a rough oblong and place it into a greased bread tin, cover with a tea-towel and let it rise again for a further 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

- preheat the oven to 230c, score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife and dust with a little flour, bake for 30-35 minutes until golden.

If you want a really crispy crust, take the bread out of the tin and place it back onto the oven shelf for a further 5 minutes.

That loaf looks perfect, Dom! No matter how much sourdough, wholemeal and granary bread we eat, there are times when only a soft white loaf will do - bacon sandwiches, for instance! This really fits the bill for those occasions. I love the white waistline, where the crust has separated - beautiful!

I got this extact same book out of the library just this week- its brilliant! Full of really lovely ideas. I haven't tried the Farmhouse Loaf yet, but thats definately whizzed right up to the top of my list now!

Oh, yeah, I can almost smell that right now! Awesome. There's nothing better than fresh, homemade bread. I hadn't made any for about a month until a couple of days ago, and I realised how much I'd missed the almost meditative nature of the kneading and the waiting. I'm going to give yours a try this weekend - my kids will be in heaven.

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Welcome to my blog

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Belleau Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London!